Hannibal's house, late Tuesday

[sharp_as_knives]

Jono had seemed...distracted lately, and anxious. Hannibal might have thought it was related to their recent discussions, except that it was more unfocused and clearly not directed at him.

So, Hannibal had a devious plan this evening. He'd set aside everything that he would need, except for the last thing - Jono. He headed back down to the den to retrieve that.


[OOC: Jono modded by permission! For him that's mentioned.]

Comments

[furnaceface]

//I don't know...// Not that this was rocket science, granted. Jono rolled over a little, looking up at Hannibal. //If I get too comfortable, I'm liable to fall asleep on you.//

Possibly literally directly on top of you, Hannibal.

Not that this was necessarily a bad thing, considering Jono's difficulty sleeping, granted. It might ruin a bit of the intent of the massage oil and the beer, though.

[sharp_as_knives]

If it was literally on top of him, they were doing massaging wrong.

"It's a hazard I'm prepared to brave," Hannibal answered.

[furnaceface]

Well, Jono liked to try wild and crazy new things. Like... apparently not laying face-down while getting a massage. He gave Hannibal a wry look, and then shimmied around a little bit, reaching for a pillow and fluffing it up a bit.

There. Good. That would work nicely. And he was still facing the right way, in fact.

//This'll do nicely, then,// he decided. //I'm comfortable.//

Well, he was positioned in a way where most of his weight wasn't on his half-shattered ribs, and was more positioned on his shoulders and hips. That was a marked improvement.

[sharp_as_knives]

"Good." Hannibal could think of more comfortable ways to lie, but if Jono felt his back needed this massage the most, this was probably the best.

He leaned down to kiss Jono's cheek, then reached for the massage oil, warming a bit in his hands. "I hope you're not expecting professional quality from me, but I will do my best."

[furnaceface]

//... Professional quality? You say that as though you figure I ought to know what that even means.//

Jono and his aversion to billowing fire everywhere really didn't lend himself well to having a great familiarity with what professional quality massages felt like.

//I'm sure it'll be fine, mate.//

Hell, it would probably be nothing shy of worrisome, just how wound up Jonothon's back really was, here.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal smiled. "Well, since the last time you went for a professional massage, you spent the entire session arguing about music with the masseuse, maybe I won't have much to worry about."

He reached out to rub Jono's shoulders, more affectionately than therapeutically for the moment.

[furnaceface]

//Wasn't arguing,// Jono protested. //We were... discussing. Important things. Discussion things...//

Jono was also quite possibly not at the top of his game, here.

Look, that felt nice. Affection did wonders for Jonothon.

[sharp_as_knives]

"You were energetically discussing," Hannibal compromised. "But cheerfully." He rubbed a little harder, unsurprised to find Jono's muscles were hard knots of tension.

[furnaceface]

//Hnn... cheerfully and energetically discussing is close enough, I suppose,// Jono decided, closing his eyes and furrowing his brow a little. The trouble with being this tense was that massages hurt.

The upside about being Jonothon was that he was something of a masochist.

[sharp_as_knives]

"I am perfectly willing to cheerfully and energetically discuss music myself," Hannibal pointed out. He concentrated on one shoulder, following the lines of the muscles into his neck. "For instance, I prefer Opeth's more orchestral songs as a human, but more with drums as a snake."

[furnaceface]

//Can't say I've had the opportunity to listen to Opeth as a snake,// Jono noted, giving Hannibal a soft wave of approval. Yes, that shoulder very much needed the attention. So did the other, really, but Hannibal didn't have enough hands to focus on both at once. //I think I can see why you would, though. More vibrations for you to, er... hear. Hear?//

Having been a snake before himself, Jono wasn't completely certain that was the proper word.

[sharp_as_knives]

"Feel with your ears?" Hannibal suggested. That was probably closer. He shrugged and paused to take a drink of the beer, savoring it.

"I'll have to play it the next time you change."

[furnaceface]

Oh, that beer was nice. Jono closed his eyes and nodded a little, savouring the flavour as well.

//Feel with my ears,// he settled on. //Though I have to confess, I am rather hoping to avoid another go-round as a snake any time soon.//

Even if he was stinkin' adorable, so far as snakes went.

[sharp_as_knives]

"Understandable." Hannibal nodded. "Although I'll know a bit better how to handle you now."

He really was adorable; Hannibal as a snake was majestic, but Jono was cuter! Even without sweaters.

[furnaceface]

//Something about being one yourself has a funny way of giving you a bit of perspective,// Jono agreed, glancing back at Hannibal for a moment. //For example... sweaters.//

Snake sweaters. Nope.

[sharp_as_knives]

"Being warmer might be welcome," Hannibal said. "Though I imagine they would make movement more difficult."

And if not, did they come in plaid?

Hannibal pressed into a particularly stubborn knot, carefully working at it. "We should get a larger heat lamp, though."

[furnaceface]

//We should,// Jono agreed, a slight furrowing of his brow the only reaction to Hannibal tackling that stubborn spot right there. Oof. //One big enough for at least a king cobra, two cats, and me.//

He'd felt left out, okay?

[sharp_as_knives]

That startled a laugh from Hannibal. "I believe they call those 'saunas'." The stubborn knot finally loosened a little, and Hannibal did his best to undo it.

[furnaceface]

//Oh, 'zat what they are?// This massage was starting to actually edge from 'ow ow ow' into 'relaxing, probably' territory. Jono could appreciate that. //One of those, then. We should get right on that.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"What, in the house?" Though now he was thinking about it, there were a few rooms that could probably be converted...

[furnaceface]

//Sure,// Jono decided, in that sort of mumbly-distracted half-there tone that was really a sort of praise of Hannibal's hands all on its own. //It'd be convenient. Wouldn't have to share or find a public one somewhere...//

Because, public saunas. Jono had trouble enough with public swimming.

[sharp_as_knives]

"I've been thinking of turning the sitting room next to this into a studio, but I don't need the entire space," Hannibal mused.

Clearly, he would take a lot of convincing here.

He paused to drink a bit more beer before moving his attentions closer to the back of Jono's neck.

[furnaceface]

//Studio's great, s'fine... but just think... sauna.//

It was good that this wasn't going to take much arguing, because Jono wasn't capable of presenting terribly cognizant arguments at the moment anyway. Especially not after that mouthful of beer, there.

//It'd be so warm.//

No more tiny snakes refusing to leave the bed! No more Jono, dragging bedsheets around the house!

[sharp_as_knives]

...You could not live in the sauna, Jono.

"It would be," Hannibal agreed. "Well, I suppose there's no harm in having a contractor draw up plans."

I was fine if Jono couldn't argue very well. If he weren't thinking, he wouldn't be fretting.

[furnaceface]

Jono could put forth a decent effort! Both to living in the sauna, and fretting. He was talented that way.

//No harm's good,// Jono decided. //We can do... all kinds of no-harm things. Saunas... More... saunas...//

He was trying, here.

//Other warm options.//